Hosea 10:11-13
New English Translation
Fertility Imagery: Plowing, Sowing, and Reaping
11 Ephraim was a well-trained heifer who loved to thresh grain;
I myself put a fine yoke[a] on her neck.
I will harness Ephraim.
Let Judah plow![b]
Let Jacob break up the unplowed ground[c] for himself!
12 Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap unfailing love.
Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves,
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes and showers deliverance[d] on you.
13 But you have plowed wickedness;
you have reaped injustice;
you have eaten the fruit of deception.
Because you have depended on your chariots;[e]
you have relied[f] on your many warriors.
Footnotes
- Hosea 10:11 tc The MT is unintelligible: עַל־טוּב (ʿal tuv, “upon a fine [thing]”?). Cf. KJV “I passed over upon her fair neck,” NRSV “I spared her fair neck.” The BHS editors suggest the revocalization עֹל־טוּב (ʿol tuv, “a fine yoke”), followed by many modern English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT). The noun עֹל (ʿol, “yoke”) also appears in 11:4 in a metaphor comparing Israel to a young heifer.
- Hosea 10:11 tn Or “Judah will plow” (so NASB); cf. NIV, NRSV, CEV “Judah must plow.”
- Hosea 10:11 tn Or “Jacob will break up.”
- Hosea 10:12 tn Or “righteousness” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); cf. NAB “justice.”
- Hosea 10:13 tc The MT (followed by KJV, NASB) reads the enigmatic בְּדַרְכְּךָ (bedarkekha, “in your own way”) which does not seem to fit the context or the parallelism with בְּרֹב גִּבּוֹרֶיךָ (berov gibborekha, “in your multitude of warriors”). The BHS editors suggest the original reading was בְרִכְבְּךָ (verikhbekha, “in your chariots”), a reading followed by NAB and TEV. If this is correct, the MT reading was caused by orthographic confusion between רֶכֶב (rekhev, “chariot”) and דֶּרֶכ (derekh, “way”).
- Hosea 10:13 tn The phrase “you have relied” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is implied by the parallelism in the preceding line.
Hosea 10:11-13
International Standard Version
Israel Urged to Sow in Righteousness
11 “Ephraim, the well-trained heifer,
loves to thresh grain,
so I will spare her neck.
I will turn Ephraim into a pack animal.
Judah will pull the plow,
and Jacob will turn up the fallow ground.
12 Sow in righteousness in your own interest,
reap in gracious love,
break up your own unprepared ground;
It is now time to inquire of[a] the Lord,
until he comes to pour out righteousness for you.
13 You have plowed[b] evil;
you have reaped unrighteousness;
you have eaten the fruit of hypocrisy;
because you trusted in your own direction,
and in the number of your mighty forces.
Footnotes
- Hosea 10:12 Or to worship
- Hosea 10:13 Or fashioned
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